Arabian Swords

Arabian swords were commonly used by Eastern peoples, including Arabs, Persians, Turks, Hindus, etc. They were highly effective swords, and also had a very attractive design and decoration from an aesthetic point of view.

Types of Arabian swords:

The most common term for Arabian swords is Scimitar. In reality, it is not a specific type of Arabian sword, but rather how swords in the Muslim world are generally known, although it is true that they had common characteristics.

Common characteristics of Arabian swords or scimitars

·         Curved blade, so we can say with certainty that a scimitar is a saber.

·         Single edge.

·         Hilt to protect the hand, made of metal.

·         Lightweight.

·         Great cutting ability, which in turn allowed for high combat speed. When attacking from horseback, the blade did not get stuck in the opponent and cut along the trajectory given by the rider's blow.

The very name scimitar comes from the Italian derivation "scimitarra" of the Persian shamsir. This term is used by the Western world to refer to any Muslim saber.

But within the term scimitar, the following types of Arabian swords must be distinguished:

·         Shamsir: of Persian origin, it has a stylized blade, which curves regularly from its first third.

·         Kiliç: of Ottoman origin, also known as a curved sword. It is characterized by straight quillons and a hilt curved back towards the blade. This blade has a false edge in its last third, which is slightly wider than the blade itself.

·         Saif: of Arabian origin, which differs by having a double edge, with a curved blade tip.

·         Nimcha: of Maghrebi origin. It is characterized by having its guard with several bars and a wooden handle, with a hook-shaped pommel. These swords are very similar to the talwar or saif.

·         Talwar or tulwar: of Indian origin. Its particularity is undoubtedly its peculiar hilt. This hilt has a flattened grip, short straight quillons, finished with semicircular work, with a handguard ring that extends from the quillon on the side where the edge falls. The hilt ends in a flattened and finished circular pommel, decorated with natural motifs.

Other types of Arabian swords

In addition to the scimitar, among Arabian swords we can find:

The Kabila, which is a mix between a scimitar and a jineta. From the scimitar, the kabila inherited the long, curved blade. From the jineta, the kabila has the hilt part, which is one-handed, the guard is quite narrow and flat, while the pommel is usually flat or round.

The Jineta or gineta, also known as the Nazarí sword, is a sword that comes from the Hispano-Arab world. The word "jineta" comes from "zenete," which were the men of the Berber tribe of the Banu Marin. They were the first to manufacture this type of sword.

The first jineta-type Arabian swords were manufactured in the 13th century in Granada, and were used by Muslims, although later, from the 15th century, Christians also used them. The jineta is characterized by being light, having a straight, double-edged blade and a complex tripartite hilt.

The jineta hilt stands out for its particular decoration, which was so complex that it made the cost of a sword of this type really very high, almost exclusively within reach of a few people with a very high social status. The guard of a jineta had a very curved cross-guard, which embraced the start of the blade. The sides of the hilt were decorated with openwork or animal heads. The grip was also not simple and had three parts.

There were two types of jinetas:

·         War jinetas: which had hardly any decoration.

·         Luxury jinetas: which were full of different ornaments and engravings.

In this category, you will find different types of Arabian swords, manufactured with the best materials and with special attention to the most characteristic features recorded in history about them. With our Arabian swords, you can be sure that your recreation will be faithful to history and a truly fascinating experience.